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Archives for 2013

Summer Fun Brought To You By GE® #spon

It was hot last week in Minnesota--the upper 90s with humidity making it feel like the 100s.  It was a good week to hang out in the air conditioned inside, or better yet, have fun at the pool and lake!  That's exactly what my family did... On Wednesday, we went to our friend's pool for the afternoon.  We had a ton of fun, stayed cool, got a lot of exercise, and thankfully, didn't get a sunburn.  Tottie even jumped off the diving board for the very first time! Thursday, Hubby had an unexpected day off of work so we headed out on our boat for the day.  Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky in the sunburn department that day (I even put sunscreen on!)...Luckily, the girls were ok. Friday, was a mom's "playdate" with all of Nutty's friend's moms.  We decided that since the girls have playdates so often, we needed one.  After work, I headed to her pool for margaritas. Saturday, was fun in the sprinklers at another friend's house...Yes, our swimsuits got a lot of wear this … [Read more...]

Train Table to Lego Table

When we moved into our new home (and when I say new I mean new to us...it was built in 1895) the previous owners were empty nesters...their kids had grown up, gone to college, and moved out. They offered to leave us some of their old toys if we wanted them. We happily obliged and thanked them for the kind gesture...not realizing how truly awesome it was! We don't go into our attic...it's not heated nor air-conditioned, and it's quite drafty at times. But this past week I was playing hide and seek with my twins and I thought that hiding in the attic might be a fun idea....in my time in the attic I was snooping around and realized the amazing treasure I had forgotten about, the toys they left. Now, truly and honestly, I didn't know exactly what toys they left and what a surprise it was when I realized it was three HUGE boxes filled to the brim with Legos. All sorts of shapes, colors, styles, kits and directions. I priced them out and it seriously would have been over a thousand dollars … [Read more...]

Watermelon Cookies

When I saw these watermelon cookies in the Taste of Home magazine that came to my house, I knew I had to try them with my girls!  Before I start, however, I must warn you, these cookies take 2 days to make (because of chill time) and they are a little harder than I expected (that's why there's not any pictures in the middle of us making them).  The girls had a ton of fun making them though, and they turned out super cute! I realize that I spelled Watermelon wrong in my pinable photo, however, I needed to do some editing to the photo to remove the blue color cast and I just didn't feel like editing it all over again... To make watermelon cookies of your own, you'll need: 3/4 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt Red and green gel food coloring 1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips  Step 1)  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg … [Read more...]

10 Questions Bloggers Should Ask Themselves Before Working With Brands

We guest posted over at The SITS Girls Blog today about working with brands.  We'd love for you to show our guest post some love! 10 Questions Blogger Should Ask Themselves Before Working With Brands … [Read more...]

Calculator Hopscotch

Ready for a little math fun? All you need is sidewalk chalk and a rock. Draw a calculator like the one in this photo below large enough for feet to fit inside the buttons. Toss the rock onto the calculator. What ever number it lands on is your goal number. For example, if it lands on number 5 then have your child hop onto the equation that would make five....1+4=5, 7-2=5, and so on. If you want to play with other kids have them be in a competition to see who can work through all ten numbers first. … [Read more...]

Make a Pinhole Suncatcher

Want to make some really neat sun-catchers? Here is what you will need to gather before you start: sharpened pencil or marker a thumb tack thread scissors card stock paper thick cardboard, also known as corrugated cardboard Draw out the shape you want on a piece of card stock paper.  Use the scissors to cut that shape out. Using your pencil lightly draw out the shapes you want your dots to be in on the back of your paper. Place your shape on the cardboard and use your thumb tack to push along the lines of the design. Attach a string to the back side and hang from the window.   … [Read more...]